A Kansas House committee squashed a bid Monday to make the cairn terrier, a breed perhaps best known as that of Dorothy's canine sidekick in "The Wizard of Oz," the state's official dog.

A Kansas House committee squashed a bid Monday to make the cairn terrier, a breed perhaps best known as that of Dorothy's canine sidekick in "The Wizard of Oz," the state's official dog.

Democratic state Rep. Ed Trimmer told the Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/yt9yEb ) he plans to reintroduce the bill next year. And Brenda Moore, a South Central Kansas Kennel Club official who first proposed the idea, says she plans to drum up public support for it this summer.

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals opposed the measure, saying it believes it would cause Kansas puppy mills to "churn out litter after litter of the breed" and lead to fewer adoptions from animal shelters.

Harrisburg lacks the money to pay an animal shelter to take in strays, so its police department issued a memo last month giving officers the option of shooting dangerous dogs and dropping their carcasses at a state Department of Agriculture loading dock. Police have yet to take that extreme measure and controversy generated by dog-lovers has led to a reconsideration of the policy.
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